i had my floor sanded last week. this floor refinisher sees he cant get his aligator clips inside the main or cb he pulls two breakers out and puts one white and one black on the buss bar no ground no neut. i was scared stiff i wanted to throw him out but i wanted my floor done (my wife did ) i was ready to knock him off the panel w/ a 2x4 now i think what if he got electrocuted he had a 4 wire 30 amp twist lock 4 wire cable only two wires out the panal end. hes been doing this for twenty years i have wood under my panal i should have gave him my rubber gloves.
floor sander on main buss
- Thread starter e150club
- Start date
- Status
Oakey
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
Honestly, on most job sites the floor sanders I've seen use the mentioned method you have stated. As far as liability goes is a good question.
I had an inspector fail my final inspection once because he witnessed that exact act when he showed up to do my inspection. He demanded that I put in a GFI breaker for the dryer outlet, install a cord cap on the floor guys sander, and re-call the final. I just waited until they were gone and re-called it, but I was a little miffed at the floor guy that day. I had offered to do what the inspector had asked for and got the "stupid" look and a refusal from him the day before.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
This is SOP for these guys. Twice I had floor work done and they both attached an alligator clip on the the panel bus. I wasn't home at the time or I would have hooked the thing up to a CB.
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
I've seen the floor guys working that way also. A few have a QO, CH, and HOM breaker with their style plug hanging on a pigtail off the breaker. That's a notch better than clips on the buss. I'm not sure what the real solution is. Better them than me, is all I have to say.
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
I wonder what the insurance company would have to say? I offered to set up a few different whips for a floor sander, he said it was too expensive... 
JohnJ0906
Senior Member
- Location
- Baltimore, MD
I havent seen the floor sander do this, but I catch hardwood installers do it often. They want to run 2 compressors and 2 saws at a time. The builders tell them that if the temp outlet isn't good enough, them use a generator, but they will still use the allegator clip to bus method. I take them away if I see it. IMO, I am saving them a serious accedent, or an OSHA fine.
stickboy1375
Senior Member
- Location
- Litchfield, CT
Sad thing is, all they have to do is request a temp. receptacle and I will gladly install it... even if I did it on my own time...
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
When I was in high school, we still had slate chalkboards. Over time, they get glazed and need to be resurfaced, and it seems that those crews are cousins of the flooring crews...
On the way to class, I passed a completely open panel, cover sitting on the floor, with some honkin' big clips on the line side of the main. There was a large cable leading into a classroom. No covers, not even an orange cone here.
I think I was down at the office in about 90 seconds, telling some vice-asssistant-whatever that this was more than a wee bit unsafe, and that something really ought to be done. About ten minutes later there was a large piece of cardboard over the panel. (At least it was something.)
Doing this on a construction site is one thing, but in an occupied school? Where do these people come from?
On the way to class, I passed a completely open panel, cover sitting on the floor, with some honkin' big clips on the line side of the main. There was a large cable leading into a classroom. No covers, not even an orange cone here.
I think I was down at the office in about 90 seconds, telling some vice-asssistant-whatever that this was more than a wee bit unsafe, and that something really ought to be done. About ten minutes later there was a large piece of cardboard over the panel. (At least it was something.)
Doing this on a construction site is one thing, but in an occupied school? Where do these people come from?
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